Iran confirms nuclear facilities 'badly damaged' in US strikes
Iran confirms nuclear facilities 'badly damaged' in US strikes
Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei has confirmed that the country's nuclear facilities were "badly damaged" by recent United States airstrikes.
The attacks, which took place on Sunday, involved American B-2 bombers deploying bunker buster bombs.
Speaking to Al Jazeera, Baghaei said these strikes had a major impact on Iran's nuclear installations but refrained from providing further details.
Strikes did not destroy the core components: Report
Earlier, a preliminary United States intelligence report revealed that the military strikes on Iran's nuclear facilities—Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan—did not destroy the core components of its nuclear program.
The assessment, prepared by the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA), the Pentagon's intelligence arm, was based on a battle damage evaluation by US Central Command after the strikes, one of the sources told CNN.
The findings contradict President Donald Trump's statements that the strikes "completely and totally obliterated" Iran's enrichment facilities.
US action only delayed Iran's nuclear program: DIA
According to two sources familiar with the assessment, Iran's stock of enriched uranium remains intact.
One source said centrifuges are largely "intact," while another claimed enriched uranium was moved out before the strikes.
The DIA concluded that the US action only delayed Iran's nuclear program by a few months at most.
The White House acknowledged the existence of the assessment but stated that they disagreed with it.
Fragile ceasefire between Israel and Iran still intact
With the bombing, the US joined the Israel-Iran conflict, which Trump had for days teased.
After the bombing, Iran targeted the Al-Udeid air base in Qatar, firing 14 missiles on Monday. No casualties were reported during this attack.
Later, President Trump confirmed that Iran had notified the US before launching missiles.
The same day, Trump announced that a ceasefire between the two countries had been reached, which they both confirmed the next morning but violated within hours.
Iran fast-tracks proposal to suspend cooperation with IAEA
As of Wednesday, the fragile ceasefire between Israel and Iran is still intact.
Trump, who helped broker the ceasefire, told reporters at a NATO summit that it was going "very well."
"They're not going to have a bomb...they're not going to enrich," Trump said.
Iran, however, has insisted that it will not give up its nuclear program. The Iranian parliament has fast-tracked a proposal to suspend cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
IAEA reaches out to Iran for inspections
Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf slammed the IAEA for not condemning the US attacks on Iran's nuclear facilities.
He said until security is ensured, cooperation with IAEA will be suspended and Iran's nuclear program will move forward at a faster pace.
IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi has reached out to Iran to discuss resuming inspections of their nuclear facilities.
He stressed the need for inspectors to reassess the country's stockpiles, saying, "We need to return...We need to engage."